How to Tape a Lacrosse Stick

Your lacrosse stick is one of the most important aspects of being a successful player. In order to be the best lacrosse player you can be, you have to have the most control you can have, and this starts at the stick. Straight out of the box, a stick is smooth and thin. Most lacrosse players tape their sticks to give them a better grip. The lack of tape can result in a number of outcomes. Without this proper grip, you will likely miss more shots and catches. If it happens to be raining when you are playing, it will be especially slippery. So, we’ve decided we need to tape the stick, but now you need to know how to tape a lacrosse stick.

Here are 4 easy steps on taping a lacrosse stick:

1. Before you even begin taping the stick, you need to make sure that it is clean of dirt and mud so the tape does not lose its cohesiveness. Once it is cleaned, flip the stick upside down so the base of the stick is towards you and the place where the ball is held is down. Make sure you have enough tape nearby.

2. Once your stick is prepared, unroll a couple inches of tape from the roll and wrap it around the base of the stick. Always make sure that when you wrap the tape around the stick that it is tight. From here, you can spiral up the shaft to the middle. Where you stop is entirely up to you. When spiraling up the shaft, think about how thick you want the tape. Remember this is the grip you’ll be using in the next game so wrap it in the way most comfortable to you. Focus particularly on the part of the stick you will be gripping the most. When finished, rip the tape off and make sure it’s tight on the shaft. Smooth the tape out.

3. Now you will wrap the tape in spiral form from the head of the stick (right below where the ball is held) to the middle of the shaft.

4. In order to keep the end cap in place, place tape around the cap and connect it to the spiral of tape you just wrapped above. Then tape the remaining middle portion of the shaft.

The problem with taping a lacrosse stick is not that it is difficult or confusing; it’s that everyone has a specific style of taping. Your style will be totally different from your teammate’s. For example, you may want a coarse tape for where your hands are when you throw, but smooth tape everywhere else. Some people bunch their tape up a lot, and some use none at all. How much you put on is your own personal preference, so experiment with some different styles and amounts of tape. However, you should always use white athletic tape over electrical tape, duct tape, and other tapes. Once you pick the taping method you like, stick to it and try to keep it as identical as possible. Finally, test it out on your own before using it on the field!